With a seven point lead on my beloved Maple Leafs, the Buffalo Sabres are all but guaranteed a spot in the NHL playoffs as the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference. All they need to do is drag tied games past regulation time to guarantee one point towards the NHL standings in their next five games, move past the 90 point threshold, and they are in. According to Twitter, the NHL boasts shootouts are down 22%, but I am willing to bet more and more games are heading to overtime because when in the overtime period teams earn that point is irrelevant. Teams in the playoff picture don't want to lose their spots, so they will play for ties to stay up in the standings.
All credit to James Reimer keeping the team in front of him accountable, and keeping the interests of the fans. Until the NHL adopts a three points for a regulation win system, Pro-Line and other betting industries will continue to lose money when gamblers put money towards the tie (Pro-Line declares ties for games ending in regulation with tied scores).
James seems like a nice guy; I hope the goaltending class in the Marlies system keep the Leafs goaltending accountable. A good controversy, such as Roy-Racicot and Vernon-Osgood-Hasek, will keep the focus on good goaltending and good teamplay up front. ^_^
In NHL action, the Montreal Canadiens play the Boston Bruins for the first time since Zdeno Chara's controversial bodycheck of Max Pacioretty almost a fortnight ago. I don't expect any retribution on the part of the Habs, but the play did launch a nationwide debate about the state of the glorious game, and equally biased flag waving among high ranking airline executives. Speaking of airlines, check out AIR CANADA for all their post-March Break, spring getaway deals ^_^
I'm playing MINECRAFT now, and after watching some James Reimer highlights on the television I may need to build a statue to "Optimus Reim" on an offshore island. He will be standing tall, made of brick, and no rebounds...I mean, on a redoubt.
I wonder what the standings would look like if teams received THREE points for a win in regulation time? I will do some research and post the results soon. If anything that would kill the playoff legitimacy of all teams starting with "T" and ending with "oronto Maple Leafs".
Ottawa: AH HA HA HA!
Goaltender Ryan Miller of the Buffalo Sabres is playing at his usual best; I can't say the same about their new, modernized jersey. I like the classic dudes and the giant shield of the dancing bull over the swords, but why the number on the top of the shirt? I know my age, but you don't see ME with a giant number on my shoulderblade? TWENTYSOMETHING, see? I remember...what?
Real footage that mutants and/or superheroes from the comic book world exist in our time! By day, they are accountants and professional athletes, but by night they are...professional athletes? Anyway, check out footage of telekinesis endowed, NHL goaltender Jonathan Quick in action for his Los Angeles Kings against the Calgary Flames.
If you remember the final scene from the classic silent film starring Rudolph Valentino, Blood and Sand, then you know the fate of the protagonists and antagonists in the story. Ultimately, they are forgotten, a new hero emerges, and the show continues. Two nights ago, in the city of Montreal, one such contest between the hometown protagonists called the Canadiens squared off against their rivals the Bruins, who are antagonists from Boston, Massachusetts. With the score 4-0 heading toward the end of the second period, a loose puck by the boards played a crucial role in the drama called hockey.
The colours, scoreline, fans, coaches, and players are forgotten for an instant. The motionless body of a human being lies flat on his chest, as if the definition of "Pacioretty" is exactly what you see. That is false: He has parents, family, friends, hopes and dreams of one day being a successful hockey player, but he also has a fractured 4th vertebrae, and a sever concussion. For that instant Mr. Pacioretty, a man who most of us might pass on the street without blinking an eye, was all that mattered to everyone who watched him lying on the ice. However, like most moments, it passed and we demanded justice, or at the very least, a penalty.
The focus turned to the garish 6'9" captain of the Bruins Zdeno Chara, who bodied a man half his size into a dangerous partition of the rink. Five minutes would never be enough, and neither would a game misconduct: We wanted justice, retribution, a shove, a fight for a fallen comrade that was one of "us". We wanted to take sides on the issue: Those who claim its legitimacy in keeping with the dangerous and thrilling tradition of the game, and those who claim its intent represents the depraved state of our current society. Does it remind you of anything?
(I do apologize for the state of the previous video. There isn't one clean video of the incident, and the author has a clear agenda I have mixed opinions about.) Almost to the anniversary of this incident no one in authority made a substantial change to the game of hockey to root out this element. After all, it sells tickets, whips beat writers into a frenzy, get fans in their seats, notches hits on YouTube, and keeps franchises afloat. Names such as Todd Bertuzzi, Matt Cooke, and almost every player on the New York Islanders are at the forefront of fans' minds; which unlucky matador will cross paths with these raging bulls? Who will be the next Rudolph Valentino: Marc Savard, Scott Moore, or Max Pacioretty? Who will be the next Eric Lindros?
If the game was less about 'Blood and Ice', what kind of game would we see? If the game was more about Savard, Moore, Pacioretty, and Lindros, would hockey be a different sport altogether?
